AU2018203377B2

AU2018203377B2 - Plasma ignition plug for an internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: AU2018203377B2
Application number: AU2018203377A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Serge V. Monros; Darko Segota; David G. Yurth
Original assignee: SVMTECH LLC
Current assignee: SVMTECH LLC
Priority date: 2013-10-16
Filing date: 2018-05-15
Publication date: 2019-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2034-10-16
Also published as: EP3379666B1; EP3379666A3; CA2926798A1; AU2014337268A2; US9236714B2; AU2014337268B2; EP3058630A1; IL244926A0; US9605645B2; JP2016537800A; EP3058630B1; KR20160078959A; AU2014337268A1; AU2018203377A1; SA516370950B1; CN105900300B; EA032096B1; CA2995700A1; US20150102719A1; EP3379666A2

Abstract

The present invention provides a plasma ignition plug for an internal combustion engine, the plasma ignition plug comprising: a generally cylindrical insulating body having a proximal end and a distal end; a central anode co-axially disposed within the insulating body and generally coextensive therewith; a generally semi-spherical emitter disposed in the distal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode; a terminal disposed in the proximal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode; and a generally cylindrical cathode sleeve co axially disposed around the distal end of the insulating body and having a torus-shaped ring encircling and immediately adjacent to the emitter, wherein the ring and emitter form an annular spark gap opening from the distal end of the insulating body without obstruction. WO 2015/057915 PCT/US2014/060816

Description

PLASMA IGNITION PLUG FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed to an ignition source for use with internal combustion engines.

RELATED APPLICATION [Para 1] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.

/891,551, filed on October 1 6, 201 3.

BACKGROUND [Para 2] Plasma ignition properties are not currently provided by conventional spark ignition devices such as spark plugs. The field of spark-type devices is densely populated by more than 1,000 patented spark emitter and plasma propagation devices. The field of plasma-arc igniter systems is also densely populated but largely relegated to uses not affiliated with internal combustion engines. All such devices are typically comprised of (a) an anode bar which is inserted longitudinally through the center of (b) an insulating porcelain material comprised of a vitreous or glassine ceramic of various types, (c) a fitted metallic cathode material comprised of various materials, which is affixed to the ceramic insulating material using various strategies and techniques, (d) all of which incorporate a wide variety of spark-gap geometries ranging from a simple spark bar separated from the tip of the anode bar to various types of cages,

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 plates, layered materials, and other strategies intended to amplify or enhance the effectiveness of the spark emitted into the cylinder of the engine during ignition cycles.

[Para 3] The current disclosure is distinguished from prior art devices of the same class by at least one of (a) the materials incorporated into its design, (b) the geometry of its ignition tip, and (c) its electronic and electrical properties. A singular and common short-coming of spark plugs in general is that the metallic elements incorporated into their manufacture are incapable of emitting a spark across the ignition gap that efficiently ignites, beyond a finite limit, the air and fuel droplets compressed in the cylinder during the detonation phase. The limitations of current ‘spark emitter’ devices are the product of (a) marginal conductivity of the metallic elements, (b) electrical persistence demonstrated by the metallic elements, and (c) a finite limit to electrical saturation provided by the porcelain ceramic insulating materials.

[Para 4] The normal air-to-fuel ratio supported by conventional devices is generally recognized as 1 4.7:1. Newer engines have recently been manufactured which operate at an elevated ratio of 22:1. This elevated level of air-to-fuel mixtures represents the upper limit of operability in conventional internal combustion engine devices because the amount of electrical current (including a number of variable input properties) that can be tolerated by conventional spark plugs cannot exceed this level of performance. In order to efficiently detonate a fuel-air mixture at a higher ratio the ignition source must be designed to tolerate much higher current levels, faster switching times, and

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 higher peak amplitudes than can be supported by any currently available devices.

[Para 5] The above references to the background art do not constitute an admission that the art forms part of the common general knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The above references are also not intended to limit the application of the process as disclosed herein.

SUMMARY [Para 6] Disclosed herein is a plasma ignition plug for an internal combustion engine, the plasma ignition plug comprising a generally cylindrical insulating body having a proximal end and a distal end. A central anode is coaxially disposed within the insulating body and generally coextensive therewith. A generally semi-spherical or hemispherical emitter is disposed in the distal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode. A terminal is disposed in the proximal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode. A cathode sleeve is coaxially disposed around the distal end of the insulating body and has a torus-shaped ring encircling and immediately adjacent to the emitter. The ring and the emitter form an annular spark gap opening from the distal end of the insulating body without interruption. The central anode comprises a thorium-alloyed tungsten and the emitter comprises titanium and is press fitted on the central anode.

[Para 7] In some forms the plasma ignition plug may be designed to replace a spark plug. The plasma generated by the inventive ignition plug may increase

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 molecular dissociation of the fuel such that virtually 1 00% combustion may be achieved, with a decrease in heat generation, an increase in horsepower, and near complete remediation of the exhaust profile.

[Para 8] In some forms the plasma ignition plug may incorporate the following elements into its design:

[Para 9] Electrical Saturation: The conventional porcelain glassine ceramic insulation material used in spark plugs of current manufacture may be replaced by a vitreous machinable ceramic, such as boron-nitride. Vitreous machinable ceramics such as boron-nitride are available in various formulations and generally reduce to a glassine ceramic crystalline insulator when exposed to appropriately applied temperatures and pressures. Other examples include RESCOR™ alumina and alumina silicate machinable ceramics provided by Catronics Corp. Such machinable ceramic insulator materials provide elevated electrical saturation limits which are shown by manufacturer’s specifications to exceed conventional porcelain spark plug insulation materials by as much as 1 800 times. The use of such materials may render the current disclosure capable of supporting input levels of current in the range of 75,000 volts DC at up to 7.5 amperes. Tests demonstrate that electrical current applied at this level breaches the tolerances of the most advanced conventional devices resulting in catastrophic failure in identical test protocols within less than 1 5 seconds. The test results for the current disclosure demonstrate its ability to accommodate switched and sustained inputs at this level for indefinite periods without damage or deterioration.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 101 Switching Times: The nature of spark-type ignition devices of current manufacture induces residual persistence of each electrical impulse as it is delivered by the ignition coil and distributor apparatus. Beyond a certain switching threshold, shown by manufacturers of the best commercially available racing-type spark plugs to be less than 5 milliseconds, the spark arc passing from the anode to the cathode at each ignition event becomes a continuous arcing sequence. The result of this material-based limitation may be that a significant amount of the induced spark impulse is retained by the metallic materials of the spark plug and not delivered to the gases in the cylinder. It has been repeatedly shown that the efficiency of combustion in an ignition system may be a function of numerous combined variables, including (a) switching times, (b) amplitude peaks, (c) pulse duration, (d) pulse discriminator curve slopes, (e) resonance, capacitance and impedance in the arc emitter, and (f) insulation efficiencies. The current disclosure may resolve the issues which limit the performance of conventional spark-emitter devices by including in its manufacture (a) thorium-alloyed tungsten as the anode material, (b) titanium as the plasma emitter tip, (c) vitreous machinable ceramics as the ceramic insulation material, and (d) beryllium-alloyed copper as the cathode housing. These materials may demonstrate electrical discharge persistence at less than 2.1x10^-6 watts per pulse at 75,000 volts @ 6.5 amps when switched at intervals of 5 x 10^-7 seconds with 5 x 1 0^-8 discriminator durations. This performance level may be fully 1000 times better than any conventionally manufactured spark emitter yet manufactured.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 11] Combustion Efficiency: The nature of the ignition cycle in internal combustion engines relies on (a) the ratio and efficiency with which air is mixed with finely atomized fuel vapor inside the cylinder, (b) the amount of heat and pressure applied to the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder prior to ignition, (c) the properties of the ignition source, and (d) the geometry of the physical apparatus in which the fuel is combusted. The current disclosure may increase combustion efficiency by enabling the combustion of air-to-fuel mixtures in the range of 30:1 - 40:1, with a resulting increase in actual output in the form of usable horsepower, a concomitant reduction in fuel consumption per unit of output, a decrease in the operating temperature of the engine, and substantial remediation of the exhaust constituents, to as little as 1.0 parts-per-million to 2.5 parts-per-billion. The current disclosure may accomplishe this in some forms by (a) delivering an ignition source that is at least 1000 times greater in amplitude than a conventional spark plug, and (b) introducing a dissociating plasma field prior to the ignition event which serves to fully dissociate the long-chain hydrocarbon molecules characterizing petroleum-based fuels. By exposing virtually all carbon ions held in the molecular chain to free oxygen molecules carried by the air component of the fuel-air mixture, the percentage of carbon ions which are effectively oxidized results in a substantial increase in ignition pressure output and virtual elimination of un-ignited carbon particulates in the exhaust profile.

[Para 1 2] Plasma-Induced Ignition: Plasma-induced ignition of compressed mixtures of petroleum-based fuels and air has been shown to (a) increase

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 combustion efficiency, (b) increase combustion effectiveness, (c) increase workfunction output, (d) reduce operating temperatures, and (e) remediate exhaust emission profiles. To date it has not been possible to introduce an effective plasma-based ignition component to conventional internal combustion engines because the materials used to manufacture conventional spark plugs are incapable of accommodating the electrical and signal input levels required to create plasma fields which can be sufficiently dense, adequately amplified, and effectively switched in extended operation.

[Para 1 3] In some forms of the present disclosure, the equatorial diameter of the emitter may be approximately equal to the inner diameter of the hollow insulating body. The cathode sleeve may be threaded and configured to be compatible with a threaded port on an internal combustion engine. The insulating body may in some forms be made from a vitreous, machinable ceramic. A preferred example of such a material may be, in some forms, boron nitride ceramic powder compressed with a machinable composition, which may subsequently be heated and compressed to a glassine crystalline structure.

[Para 14] The central anode may be in some forms made from a thoriumalloyed tungsten. The emitter may in some forms be made from titanium and press-fitted onto the central anode. The cathode sleeve may in some forms be made from beryllium-alloyed copper or vanadium-alloyed copper.

[Para 1 5] The emitter in some forms may extend beyond the distal end of the cathode sleeve. The insulating body may electrically insulate the central anode from the cathode sleeve along its length. The annular gap formed between the

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 emitter and the torus on the distal end of the cathode sleeve may not be interrupted by the insulating body.

[Para 16] In some forms, the plasma ignition plug may be constructed using the general shapes and configurations described above, the materials described above, or a combination of both.

[Para 1 7] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [Para 1 8] The accompanying drawings illustrate the disclosure. In such drawings:

[Para 19] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the plasma ignition plug of the present disclosure.

[Para 20] FIGURE 2 is a front view of the plasma ignition plug of the present disclosure.

[Para 21] FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the plasma ignition plug of the present disclosure.

[Para 22] FIGURE 4 is a close-up view of the annular gap of the plasma ignition plug of the present disclosure.

[Para 23] FIGURE 5 is a schematic illustration of an OEM system including the inventive plasma ignition plug.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 24] FIGURE 6 is a schematic illustration of an integrated plug and wire retrofit used with the inventive plasma ignition plug.

[Para 25] FIGURE 7 is a schematic illustration of a retrofit system for use with the inventive plasma ignition plug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Para 26] In the following detailed description, reference is made to accompanying figures which form a part of the detailed description. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, depicted in the figures and defined in the claims, are not intended to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilised and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in the figures can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated in this disclosure.

[Para 27] This disclosure is directed to an ignition source for use with internal combustion engines. More particularly, the disclosure is directed to a plasma ignition plug designed to replace a spark plug. The plasma generated by the ignition plug increases molecular dissociation of the fuel such that virtually 100% combustion is achieved, with a decrease in heat generation, an increase in horsepower, and near complete remediation of the exhaust profile.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 28] The plasma ignition plug 10 may accommodate a specially designed plasma emitter shown in separate tests to emit a highly energized arc-driven plasma field when subjected to a properly designed power supply and switching system. The device as shown in FIGS 1-4 is constructed of (a) an anode 1 2 made from thorium-alloyed tungsten rod stock, (b) an insulator 1 4 made from a vitreous machinable ceramic material such as boron-nitride, (c) a hemispherical field emitter 1 6 made from titanium, and (d) a cathode sleeve 1 8 made from either beryllium-alloyed copper or vanadium-alloyed copper. The cathode 1 8 has a torus-shaped ring 20 near the emitter 1 6. The body of the cathode 1 8 is in some forms tooled and threaded 22 to fit into an engine port configured to receive a spark plug in a typical internal combustion engine. A terminal or ignition input cap 24 is press-fitted on the end of the anode 1 2 opposite the cathode 1 8.

[Para 29] The inventive plasma ignition plug delivers much higher current to the ignition cycle in nanosecond bursts. Instead of simply producing an ignition arc, the inventive plasma plug produces a plasma so powerful that it disassociates water molecules in open air and burns them with a brilliant arc. When exposed to the plasma field of the inventive plasma ignition plug, gasoline molecules are broken into single ionic radicals which are then ignited by an equally powerful arc. The result is that in some forms fuel molecules are completely burned with hydrocarbon particulates being virtually eliminated in amounts less than 2.5 parts per billion. In addition, in some forms, carbon

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 monoxide is completely eliminated and the entire exhaust profile is remediated When used in two-stroke oil additive vehicles, the six carcinogenic exhaust contaminants typically produced by such engines are completely eliminated. Vehicles tested with plasma ignition plugs according to the present disclosure demonstrate significant increases in horsepower output and gas mileage. Emission tests performed on such vehicles demonstrates a significant reduction or total elimination of the most dangerous exhaust contaminants. Additional components can be used with the inventive plasma ignition plugs to increase electrical discharge levels, control switching rates, recalibrate ignition timing, and recalibrate fuel-air ratios.

[Para 30] The current disclosure resolves one or more of the underlying issues of prior art spark plugs by adopting the following design distinctions: [Para 31] Thorium-alloyed Tungsten Anode: Thorium-232 is useful as an alloy in devices that propagate finely controlled electronic systems because the 232 isotope of Thorium continuously emits free electrons (6.02 x 1 0¹⁷ per square cm/sec) without also exhibiting the release of any of the other emission products associated with nuclear decay. In the inventive plasma ignition plug 10, the free electrons supplied by the Thorium-232 increase the amount of actual electron output by the emitter by 73.91%. This amplifying feature renders the current disclosure functionally superior to any known devices of similar construction or application. The anode 1 2 is in some forms made from thorium-alloyed tungsten (3%). The thorium-alloyed Tungsten anode rod allows for super fast switching with exceptionally low resistance. The material

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 allows for free electron field saturation with virtually zero residual charge persistence.

[Para 32] Beryllium-alloyed Copper Cathode: Conventional iron-based metals have been used in spark plug cathode systems for more than 1 30 years. This convention has been adopted because steel cathodes are strong, relatively inexpensive, and ubiquitously available. The short-comings of ferrous materials in spark-plug applications only become important when desired input values breach the tolerance thresholds that can be tolerated by this kind of material. The present disclosure in some forms resolves or has an effect on this problem by substituting beryllium-alloyed copper for conventional ferrous cathode materials. The alloy of copper with beryllium has the effect of (a) increasing the tensile strength of copper, (b) increasing the softening point of copper, and (c) amplifying the conductivity of copper in environments of elevated temperatures. The cathode 18 is in some forms made from beryllium-alloyed copper or vanadium-alloyed copper. The beryllium-alloyed copper cathode provides extremely high conductance with amplified dielectric potential and superior tensile strength compared to copper.

[Para 33] Titanium Plasma Emitter: The point of greatest exposure to deterioration in every spark-emitter type device is the tip of the spark-emitting anode. Recent advancements in materials technologies have produced anode tips that are thinly coated with materials such as platinum and iridium. When the test data of such coating materials is reviewed, it is clear that the actual output of work-function in the form of usable energy is not improved by the

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 addition of these coating materials. Additionally, while the life-expectancy of anode tips exposed to conventional input discharge impulses may have been extended by this modification, conventional anode tips coated with platinum or iridium catastrophically fail within 1 5 seconds or less when exposed to the input levels required to create and propagate a continuous series of plasma bursts.

[Para 34] The present disclosure in some forms solves or has an effect on this problem by substituting a spherical propagation element or emitter 16 comprised of high purity titanium. The emitter 1 6 is in some forms on the order of % inch in diameter - presented as either a sphere or a hemisphere. The thorium-alloyed tungsten anode rod 12 is press-fitted to the titanium emitter 16 to constitute a strong, highly conductive component that is fundamentally resistive to deterioration under continuous operation at the levels contemplated for plasma generation. When assembled with the cathode 1 8, the arc of the emitter 16 - whether a sphere or a hemisphere - protrudes beyond an end of the torus 20. The fact that titanium exhibits extremely low electrical capacitance in the form of residual charge persistence renders it ideal for this specific application. Titanium is also fundamentally resistant to deterioration when employed as a high voltage anode. The titanium plasma emitter provides extremely high resistance to high voltage/high amperage degradation with very low residual charge persistence, very low resistance, high surface area geometries, and extremely high temperature/pressure tolerance.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 35] Field Propagation Mapping: The sufficiency of an electrical arc as an ignition source in internal combustion engine-type devices is a function of (a) source charge amplitude, (b) source charge duration, (c) geometry at the tip of the emitter, and (d) surface area operating between the anode and cathode elements. In conventional spark plug devices, a single bar of approximately 0.1 25” diameter is separated from a cathode element by a gap which is typically in the range of 0.030” +/-. The highest efficiency devices (e.g., as approved by NASCAR and Formula 1 racing organizations) consist of a single platinumcoated spark bar tip surrounded by three or more cathode tips. This configuration has been adopted because it effectively increases the surface area upon which the spark arc can operate.

[Para 36] The current disclosure in some forms optimizes the relationship between both the geometric and surface area components by using a spherical anode emitter 1 6 which is separated from a torus 20 of the beryllium-alloyed copper or vanadium-alloyed copper cathode 1 8 by a gap of approximately 0.030 inches. The tip of the emitter hemisphere protrudes beyond the end of the torus 20 by approximately 0.020 inches. The vitreous machinable ceramic insulator 14 is situated within 0.030 inches of the exposed surface of the cathode torus 20. This combination of materials, along with curved geometric sections and a closely-fixed insulator floor provides a conductive surface area which is at least twenty-five times greater than the high performance NASCAR racing-type spark plugs. In addition, the configuration of the plasma ignition plug 1 0 forces the plasma field away from the tip of the propagation device

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 towards the head of the piston. The combination of increased surface area has been shown to improve combustion effectiveness and efficiency by more than 68% when compared to NASCAR-type spark plugs in identical test applications under typical 4-cycle gasoline burning internal combustion engine systems. [Para 37] When high amplitude pulses are driven into the anode 1 2, the arc that results reaches across the annular gap 26 at more than twenty-four spots simultaneously. Under conventional input from a standard alternator and ignition system (2500 rpm at 1 3.5 volts DC and 30 amps, converted to 50,000 volts DC and 0.0036 amps), the inventive plasma ignition plug 10 produces twenty-five times more ignition flame front than a conventional spark plug. When the ignition level is increased 1,800 times (75,000 volts DC and 6.5 amps), the spark front is replaced by a plasma. No conventional spark plug can tolerate current input levels such as this. At these conditions, the inventive plasma ignition plug 1 0 increases molecular dissociation to near 100% combustion with a decrease in heat, an increase in horsepower, and near complete remediation of the exhaust profile.

[Para 38] Combustion Efficiency: A gasoline-based fuel-air mixture creates an exhaust profile that is fundamentally different when ignited in the presence of a conventional spark plug as compared to a plasma field. The increased effect exerted by plasma fields on combustion dynamics results primarily from the molecular dissociation that is induced on the long-chain hydrocarbon molecules comprising the fuel by the plasma. Conventional combustion relies on the combination of (a) heat, (b) pressure, (c) effective homogeneous mixing

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 of fuel and air molecules, and (d) an ignition source to oxidize hydrocarbon molecules by combustion. The burning of petroleum-based fuels in a pressurized environment typically creates cylinder-head pressures in the range of 450-550 psi during conventional internal combustion engine operation. In contrast, plasma-induced fuel combustion has been shown by the Russian Academy of Science to create cylinder-head pressures in the range of 11 20 psi under identical conditions.

[Para 39] The advantage of the use of a plasma-induced combustion cycle may be that in some forms half the fuel mass normally combusted in a typical internal combustion engine-system can be oxidized to create the same workfunction output values, all other variables remaining unchanged.

[Para 40] The inventive plasma ignition plug may also include mono atomic gold super conductors or orbitally reordered monotonic elements (ORME) within the emitter. Such ORME may comprise mono atomic transitional group eleven metallic powders, i.e., copper, silver, and gold. These powders exhibit type two super conductivity in the presence of high voltage in EM fields and induce type one super conductivity in contiguous copper and copper alloys.

[Para 41] The control of switching rates relies on maximum switching speeds of up to one hundred thousand cycles per minute at six hundred nanoseconds per pulse. In some forms, achievable switching rates include fifty nanosecond rise time plasma field propagation, two hundred nanosecond plasma field persistence, fifty nanosecond shutoff discriminator, fifty nanosecond rise time combustion arc, two hundred nanosecond combustion arc duration at one

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 hundred times surface area, and fifty nanosecond shutoff discriminator. The increased electrical discharge levels in some forms have an operating range of 1 3.5 volts DC at one hundred amps up to seventy-five thousand volts DC at 7.5 amps. The plasma field is in some forms less than or equal to 1 3.5 volts DC at forty-one thousand, six hundred sixty amps pulsed at two hundred nanoseconds. The combustion arc is in some forms less than or equal to seventy five thousand volts DC at 7.5 amps pulsed at two hundred nanoseconds. The air:fuel ratio is preferably adjusted from 14:7-1 up to 14:40-1. The ignition timing adjustment is in some forms digitally controlled to forty degrees before top dead center.

[Para 42] In conjunction with the inventive plasma ignition plug, the electrical discharge cycle is also improved by advances in the ignition switching, the transformer coil, and the spark plug wiring harness. The transformer coil includes a novel electromagnetic core made from a nano-crystalline electromagnetic core material. Such nano-crystalline material exhibits zero percent hysteresis under load regardless of current levels. Vitroperm™ manufactured by Vacuum Schmelze GmbH & Co. of Hanau, Germany is a preferred example of the nano-crystalline material used.

[Para 43] In combination with the nano-crystalline electromagnetic core material, the system designed for the electrical discharge cycle in combination with the inventive plasma ignition plug uses a special type of cable or wire designed to carry both alternating and direct currents. The wire is constructed so as to reduce skin effect or proximity effect losses in conductors used at

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 frequencies up to about one megahertz. Such dual current wires consist of many thin wire strands individually insulated and twisted or woven together in one of several specifically prescribed patterns often involving several layers or levels. The several levels or layers of wire strands refers to groups of twisted wires that are themselves twisted together. Such a specialized winding pattern may equalize the proportion of the overall length over which each strand is laid across the outside surface of the conductor. While such dual current wires are not superconductive, they operate with extremely low resistance to rapid pulses of VDC current in the ranges discussed herein. When used as the primary winding material for transformer coils, this dual current wire in some forms almost completely eliminates resistance losses, back eddy currents, and other losses related to transforming VDC circuits. Such dual current wire is often referred to as litz wire and is primarily used in electronics to carry alternating current.

[Para 44] Another novel material used in the inventive system that impacts the electrical discharge cycle is a dense core wire that incorporates intercalated tellurium 1 28 with highly pure copper windings - an alloyed solid core Tellurium-Copper wire. A particular version of this product goes by the brand name Tellurium-Q® manufactured by Tellurium-Q Ltd. out of England. This dense core wire was originally developed for use in high performance audio file systems to reduce or eliminate phase distortion between the amplifier and speaker components. When used as a replacement for spark plug wires such dense core wire provides current delivery from the transformer and switching

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 system to the inventive plasma ignition plugs with virtually zero resistance and virtually complete absence of phase distortion. This means that the signal produced at the source can be delivered without degradation to the plasma ignition plug on a continuous basis.

[Para 45] When a nano-crystalline electromagnetic core material such as Vitroperm™ and litz wire are combined to transform the current delivered by the alternator, they make it possible to create an integrated wire harness designed to incorporate the ignition transformer coil directly into each wire. Each wire has a separate ignition coil and switching module attached directly to its end just before it is connected to each plasma ignition plug. These integrated wire harness components are only possible because the heat losses due to resistance and hysteresis effects are virtually eliminated by the components themselves. Previous attempts to do something similar, i.e., drag racers and high performance engines used in Formula 1®, sometimes connect each spark plug wire to a separate ignition coil using digital output controllers to ensure that the output parameters do not overload the spark plugs. They also include feedback circuits and sensors tied to wireless monitoring systems. In the inventive system, each plasma ignition plug is tied to its own transformer and switching module built right into the wire itself.

[Para 46] In addition, a novel wire harness sheathing is utilized in the inventive system to cover the wire harness, in-line transformers, and in-line switching systems. Fibers extruded from molten lava (basalt) in 0.5 micron diameter cross-sections are collected on spools, woven together, and used for

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 various high-tech applications. The advantage of basalt fiber materials may be that they have a softening temperature of twelve hundred degrees centigrade, which is the melting point of lava rock. Such materials are three times stronger than boron-doped graphite fibers of the same diameter and can be bonded together to create insulating materials that are flexible, exhibit extremely high resistance to electrical saturation, and cannot be degraded by heat. Such material is also absolutely non-conductive and exhibits zero static electricity when exposed to magnetic fields. Such basalt fiber encasement makes the wire harness components, including the dense core wire, in-line transformers, and digital switching modules virtually indestructible and extremely durable in persistent use.

[Para 47] FIGURE 5 schematically illustrates a system on an original equipment manufacture (OEM) engine using the inventive plasma ignition plug 10. The OEM system 30 includes the vehicle battery 32 electrically connected to a fuse 34 which is in turn electrically connected to the ignition switch 36.

The ignition switch 36 is connected to the alternator 38 which supplies power to the distributor module 40. Up to this point, the OEM system 30 very closely resembles prior art designs. An output from the distributor module 40 connects to a spark controller 42 which in turn connects to a timing controller 44 that routes through a plug wire 46 to the plasma ignition plug 1 0. The spark controller 42, timing controller 44, and plug wire 46 are as described herein. All components of this OEM system 30 have appropriate grounding connections 48 as shown.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 48] FIGURE 6 schematically illustrates an integrated plug and wire retrofit system 50 for use with the inventive plasma ignition plug 10. In this retrofit system 50, a plug wire 46 extends from the distributor module 40. Integral with the plug wire 46 is an integrated circuit board (ICB) switching element 52 and a transformer 54. The ICB switching element 52 is a high speed digitally controlled switch that is connected to the transformer 54. The transformer 54 consists of a nano-crystalline material EM torus 56 and primary and secondary windings 58 of dual current wires, i.e., litz wire. The switching element 52 and transformer 54 combine to output a pulse that is initially high amperage and then switched to high voltage. The output from the transformer 54 connects to a plug cap 60 configured to connect directly to the plasma ignition plug 10. Again each of the components has an appropriate grounding connection 48 as shown. In some forms, the ICB switching element 52 is controllable by a programmable microprocessor. The programmable microprocessor may be integrated with the ICB switching element 52 or a separate component that is connected to the ICB switching element 52 and capable of controlling the same.

[Para 49] Typically, the pulse switching discussed above will convert the output from the distributor module 40 first into a high amperage pulse, i.e.,

3.5 volts DC at 30 amps, and then into a high voltage pulse, i.e., 50,00075,000 volts DC at 0.0036 amps, with a total pulse duration of 200 n-sec. The purpose of the switched pulse is to take full advantage of the plasma ignition plug 10. When the plasma ignition plug 1 0 is pulsed with a very fast (50 n-sec)

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 high-rise burst of high amperage (square wave at 200 n-sec duration), the air fuel mixture is molecularly dissociated into individual radicals and ions in a plasma field. The plasma field is persistent even when the source of charge has been terminated. The rate at which the source charge is fully terminated is critical to the effectiveness of the dissociation function, so the switch must convert the plasma field into an ignition field very quickly (50-1 00 n-sec).

While the constituent radicals and individual ions are still in a dissociated plasma state, the introduction of the high voltage ignition source serves to excite the oxidation reaction with extremely high efficiency. This operates without a flame front because the entire field now operates as a single ignition point in a plasma.

[Para 50] That all constituents are temporarily suspended in a plasma field creates a unique circumstance. Instead of just mixing finely divided fuel droplets with intact air molecules which are by definition separated by distances in the double-digit micron range during compression, the constituent ions and radicals are held in atomic proximity. This brings then into a spatial relationship that is between 5 and 6 orders of magnitude closer than prior art fuel/air mixtures, while at the same time increasing surface area contact by a similarly exponential increase. This is one factor contributing to the conditions for complete combustion, i.e., all the ions and radicals of all the constituents. Such results in all of these constituents reacting instantaneously upon the introduction of high voltage while the plasma field continues to persist. When the constituents interact to oxidize the fuel, the amount of energy released is

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 higher than with a prior art spark plug and ignition system because the ignition conditions have been fundamentally altered. These improvements have experimentally demonstrated a reduction in the amount of fuel to drive a load by 68%-73%, a reduction in engine operating temperature by as much as 80° F, fundamental alteration of exhaust profile, and high durability of plasma ignition plug 1 0.

[Para 51] An alternate retrofit system 62 is shown in FIG. 7. This alternate retrofit system 62 has a similar construction to that shown in the earlier systems including the battery 32, fuse 34, ignition switch 36, alternator 38 and distributor module 40. This system also includes an ignition module 64 electrically connected to the alternator 38. The ignition module 64 acts as a power transistor. In the alternate retrofit system 62 the plug wire 46 extends directly from the distributor module 40 and includes an inline spark transformer 66 and an inline digital switch 68 connected to the inventive plasma ignition plug 10. Again appropriate components have grounding connections 48 as shown. The retrofit replaces the original spark plug wires with the new plug wire 46 including the inline transformer 66 and digital switch 68, along with the plasma ignition plug 10.

[Para 52] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inventive plasma ignition plug used in a four-cycle engine provides the following dynamics. The fuel is atomized to 0.4 micrometer diameter droplets mixed with air in a fuel injector/carburetor jet diameter of 0.056 centimeters. The air and fuel is injected into the cylinder and a ratio of 14:7-1 mixture. Plasma propagation

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 occurs at an ignition point of twenty-two degrees before top dead center with the plasma field propagated at fifty nanosecond rise time, two hundred nanosecond duration, and fifty nanosecond shutoff duration at 1 3.5 volts DC at forty-one thousand, six hundred sixty amps. At these values, the plasma field disassociates long chain hydrocarbon molecules to individual ions, evenly distributed at atomic scale proximity under pressure. The following ignition arc occurs fifty nanoseconds after the collapse of the plasma field with an injection ignition impulse at seventy-five thousand volts DC at 7.5 amps for two hundred nanoseconds followed by a fifty nanosecond shutoff duration. The power stroke is driven by recombination and oxidation of the carbon fuel and oxygen ions up to sixty percent higher than conventional combustion. The exhaust stroke emissions exhibit up to forty-two percent lower carbon (2.5 PPMs), regularized NO2, regularized SO2, and virtual elimination of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. This plasma ignition plug produces more complete combustion with nanosecond timing intervals to reduce cylinder head temperatures by about eighty to one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit and exhaust temperatures by about sixty to eighty degrees Fahrenheit. When the ignition timing is adjusted to between thirty-five degrees and thirty-eight degrees before top dead center, horsepower increases by about fifteen to twenty-two percent depending upon the engine type and the fuel blend. When the air to fuel ratio is adjusted to 40:1, the break horsepower output increases with a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 62.1 percent overall.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 53] The inventive plasma ignition plug produces similar benefits in a two-stroke engine. Two stroke exhaust emissions typically include benzene,

1,3-butadiene, benzo (a) pyrene, formaldehyde, acrolein, and other aldehydes. Carcinogenic agents exacerbate the irritation and health risks associated with such emissions. Two-stroke engines do not have a dedicated lubrication system such that the lubricant is mixed with the fuel resulting in a shorter duty cycle and life expectancy. Using the inventive plasma ignition plug, a twostroke engine experiences ignition amplification where the normal magneto output (fifteen thousand volts DC at ten amps) is amplified about four times to sixty thousand volts at fourteen amps by virtue of the thorium-alloyed Tungsten anode. The spark discharge surface area is increased from a single spark bar (0.01 81 square inches) to the halo emitter (0.0745 square inches) an increase of 4.1 69 times. The total spark discharge density increase is 23.251 times. The exhaust emissions profile in a two-stroke engine shows a decrease in hydrocarbon particulates by about eighty-seven percent, elimination of carbon monoxide, conversion of NOX to NO2, conversion of SOX to SO2, elimination of benzene, reduction of 1,3 butadiene by eighty-four percent, elimination of formalins, and elimination of aldehydes. In some forms the disclosure results in a reduction of those emissions. The horsepower is increased by 1 2.4 percent and the engine temperature is decreased from two hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit to about one hundred eighty-seven degrees

Fahrenheit at six thousand RPM.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019 [Para 54] A test series of the inventive plasma ignition plug was designed to (a) create a controlled vacuum with deliberately induced attributes, (b) visually observe and empirically measure the results of the tests, (c) conduct a series of tests based on incrementally controlled amounts of vaporized water, and (d) digitally record the test results at each segment. A testing rig consistent with the design of the plasma ignition plug 1 0 was constructed. In a test of a prototype plasma ignition plug, a fly-back transformer producing 75,000 volts AC at 3.0 amps created a clearly visible plasma field. Cold ionized water vapor generated by a conventional nebulizer was vented into the plasma field in open air. The water vapor was dissociated, ionized, and detonated in open air.

[Para 55] Although an embodiment has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

[Para 56] In the claims which follow and in the preceding summary except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprising” is used in the sense of “including”, that is, the features as above may be associated with further features 30 in various embodiments.

Claims

1. A plasma ignition plug for an internal combustion engine, the plasma ignition plug comprising:

a generally cylindrical insulating body having a proximal end and a distal end;

a central anode co-axially disposed within the insulating body and generally co-extensive therewith;

a generally semi-spherical emitter disposed in the distal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode;

a terminal disposed in the proximal end of the insulating body and electrically connected to the central anode; and a cathode sleeve co-axially disposed around the distal end of the insulating body and having a torus-shaped ring encircling and immediately adjacent to the emitter, wherein the ring and emitter form an annular spark gap opening from the distal end of the insulating body without interruption;

wherein the central anode comprises a thorium-alloyed tungsten and the emitter comprises titanium and is press fitted on the central anode.

2. The plasma ignition plug of claim 1, wherein the insulating body is made using a vitreous machinable ceramic powder.

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2018203377 30 Jul 2019

3. The plasma ignition plug of claim 2, wherein the vitreous machinable ceramic powder comprises a compressed machinable composition of boron-nitride.

4. The plasma ignition plug as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cathode sleeve comprises a beryllium-alloyed copper or a vanadium-alloyed copper.

5. The plasma ignition plug of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein an equatorial diameter of the emitter is approximately equal to an inner diameter of the insulating body.

6. The plasma ignition plug of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the cathode sleeve is threaded for compatibility with a threaded port on an internal combustion engine.

7. The plasma ignition plug of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein an arc of the semi-spherical emitter extends beyond the distal end of the cathode sleeve.

8. The plasma ignition plug of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the insulating body electrically insulates the central anode from the cathode sleeve along its length.